Tiny Dancer
by The Poisoned Quill
Summary: Tamaki and Haruhi are meant to be, right? It might be foolish, but Kyoya dreamed of a different outcome. It's a dream, impossible to be real. So he'll put his foolish dreams aside. But what if Haruhi has different ideas? Takes place three years after the end of the manga.


**Hi! So, first of all, this is my first Ouran fanfic, so I'm sorry if I get some stuff wrong, but I'm working on it :D Second, to anybody who's read my other stuff, I'm unblocked, so I'm going to take a look at them and see if I can find some inspiration to keep writing.**

**Disclaimer, I do not own Ouran, if I did no one would ever end up with anyone because I don't have a favorite pairing. Except maybe HoneyXMori. **

**Enjoy! :D :D**

**Based on the song, Tiny Dancer by Elton John. **

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Kyoya Ootori did not consider himself to be fanciful by any means. That was Tamaki's job, wasn't it. He was the dreamer of the group that kept them growing and trying new things. He was the one who took risks and fell on his face. The fool that he was. A lovable fool, there was no question about that, but a fool none the less.

However, Kyoya held in his heart just one bit of fancy. He had one dream in the eyes of a tiny marvel. And he kept it protected from the world so that no one could dirty it. As foolish as Tamaki was, Kyoya would become twice the fool if it meant keeping his dream. But, like a good stories that teach a child the dangers of actions upon dreams, Kyoya's dream faded and left him with the feeling of cold hard reality.

And all it took were Tamaki's silly, almost unreal words, ones he'd spoken once everybody had split up outside the coffee shop the old host club met at these days. It'd been three years since they'd come home from America. Three years of the real world and Tamaki had insisted on keeping them pulled together. They were the last to leave and he'd seemed ridiculously anxious to tell him something, bouncing around while Honey was getting his desserts to go.

The moment he was so far along the sidewalk that he disappeard into the crowd, Tamaki could no longer contain himself. "I'm going to ask her to marry me!"

Kyoya felt as if he'd been punched in the gut but put on the best smile as he could muster. "I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say you were going to propose to Haruhi."

"I did." Tamaki's grin was frighteningly bright. "I'm going to ask her tonight, I just wanted you to know. I know how close you two are, and you're my oldest friend and..." He suddenly didn't seem so certain. "And she's going to say no, isn't she. Oh this was stupid! she'll never agree to marry me! Just look how long it took just to get her to go out with me!"

"Tamaki." Kyoya forced himself to straighten and put a hand on Tamaki's shoulder as a friend would do. "She's not going to say no." He swallowed painfully. "Haruhi loves you, give her the benefit of the doubt."

And just like that, Kyoya's fantasies were shattered on the ground like a porcelian doll. All in that small phrase. _Haruhi loved him_. But still, he'd never forget the summer he'd let himself dream. He'd never forget that tiny dancer. Even as he went home, ready to put all hopes and foolishness away. He couldn't help but think back to the moments when it all began.

_**Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band**_

Haruhi. That frumpy poor boy that knocked over a vase and caused a domino effect so powerful that the Ouran Highschool Host Club couldn't hold on to the lives they'd been living up until that point. Who would have thought that from that frumpy boy would come one of the most unconventional beauties Kyoya had ever seen.

Sure, she didn't wear the latest fashions like the girls he was normally surrounded by. Even going far enough to dress like a boy at school instead of the classic yellow dresses that were required of her. It hadn't even phased her for a second. She was so natural, dressing up as a guy, that sometimes it was easy to forget how really feminine she could be.

Haruhi. The girl of one thousand contradictions. So brave and yet so afraid. So uncaring and yet, when faced with someone who needed her she could be so soft and gentle. Just going to her home had spoken volumes about her. It was small but she was proud of it. Or at least, proud enough to get annoyed by Tamaki's careless insinuations about the way she lived. And yet, it was just large enough to be comfortable for her and her father. And maybe that was what was so special about her. She was from somewhere real and she was real, and she was comfortable. Comfortable to look at, comfortable to talk to, comfortable to touch.

Haruhi. The woman who would never let anyone do her work for her. Who'd insisted on helping pay back part of her debt in a way that the other Host Club members didn't know about. Even Kyoya hadn't known until he saw her sneaking the garment bags into the music room. This is the woman who had heard that Tamaki was spending too much in costumes and went out of her way to make them some with whatever skill she had that could be reused and kept. He couldn't help but laugh when he'd seen that for most costumes she'd chosen to break the pattern that Tamaki had set of the two of them matching. Sometimes she matched Kyoya, sometimes Mori, sometimes Honey, even sometimes becoming a third member of the dynamic duo.

_**Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man**_

The moment Kyoya reached home, he put his briefcase on the table and sank down into a chair, trying not to remember, athough his brain was insistent on playing through everything once again. And then, just as if by magic, his phone lit up and vibrated. Slowly, he picked it up and looked at the screen. Haruhi's wide brown eyes seemed to be taunting him, as they were the day the photo was taken, and her lips curved into a smile that warned that her plans were less than innocent. Wanting it to go away, he accepted the call. "Hello?"

"Hi, Kyoya-senpai, it's Haruhi." Her voice seemed distant, as if she was lost in some terrible thought.

"I know, Haruhi." He couldn't help but smile a little at her ineptness, still, when it came to technology. "To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your voice not even an hour after seeing you?"

"..." There was a long pause on the other end, as if she was trying to decide what to say. "My father called today. Tamaki went to him, wanting his blessing."

Perfect, just perfect. Those two never did manage to get along. "Haruhi, I-"

"What do I do, Kyoya-senpai?" Her voice seemed so uncertain, so unlike her. She never asked him for advice, not like this. This wasn't advice. This was making the decision for her, and doing so made him feel sick.

"Marry him." He said automatically, dutifully. "And Haruhi, pretend to be surprised when he asks. Otherwise you'll hurt his feelings."

"But, Kyoya-senpai-" He hung up on her, not wanting to hear the rationalization that would lead to her marrying the fool anyway. She'd marry him, because she loved him and his piano, and that would be that.

But it hadn't always been like that. There was one precious summer, he remembered, flipping through the pictures on his phone as long as he was holding it. And then he'd found it, the picture he'd taken the day he'd let her into his foolish heart.

_**Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand**_

It was the summer they'd returned from America. Everyone had been so happy on thier return home. Honey and Mori were still very much themselves, returning into thier lives both together and apart. Kyoya was just as happy to be anywhere, really, just as long as he could go about his already successful business. The twins had managed to prank or harrass at least half the people onboard thier plane. The only people that weren't happy where Tamaki and Haruhi. About halfway through the year, they'd fallen out. It was one of those fall outs that you only hear about and never witness, but they'd both been miserable ever since, and that had carried home with them. Well, to be more exact, Tamaki was miserable and was doing his best to make sure Haruhi was just as miserable as he was.

Kyoya hadn't even thought about it as he dialed and made plans on plane, calculating as he watched the unhappy girl disappear into her headphones and curl up on the uncomfortable airplane seat, losing herself in looking out at the clouds. Her spring dress, a little out of season, pulling up just enough to reveal that she'd been thinking smart enough to wear shorts underneath.

The moment they'd stepped off the plane and Tamaki was off greeting his grandmother, Kyoya shoved another ticket into Haruhi's hand and pushed her toward another terminal, the other four right behind them. Tamaki may have been thier friend first, but Haruhi was the one they felt the need to protect and comfort.

It hadn't taken much convincing for her to be okay with leaving with them. Especially not when they'd stepped onto the sand of the beach that Haruhi associated so much with the first year she was part of the Host Club.

For the next several days, it was still hard to get her to smile, but everyone was having a great time. Tamaki had called, quite upset, but all of them had left thier phones in the safe. Anybody who really needed to call them would have the number for the house.

On the eighth night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Kyoya had went to check on her and found Haruhi wasn't there. Rather than panic, he checked the bathroom and noticed that everyone else had thier swimsuits hung up, but that Haruhi's was missing. He couldn't help but smile and followed the path out to the beach, the moon so bright that a flashlight would have been useless. When he got to the water, he almost didn't see her. Almost.

A few yards away, her towel was sprawled out and she was just a small distance from it, dancing in the cool night air, her headphones secure on her ears. The water crashed at her feet, making her laugh and splash what she could. For the first time in weeks, she was carefree and radiant. Her swimsuit clung to her, accentuating every movement of her small frame, and she had yet to notice him.

Rather than spoiling her moment, he simply took out his phone, having gotten it out of the safe just in case he'd needed to call for help, and took a picture. The click of the camera was hidden from her by the music in her headphones and he sat down next to her towel, not ready to pull her out of her moment.

_**And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand**_

Kyoya smiled sadly as he stared at the picture on his phone. How silly it was, that a moment and a feeling could be captured in the palm of his hand so well. She hadn't even been embarassed when she'd stopped and he applauded. Only bowed lowly and sat on the towel where they'd had the rare opportunity of talking until sunset. But it was only a picture now, something he could hold in his hand and remember.

_**Jesus freaks out in the street**_

The next afternoon, Haruhi held three shopping bags in each hand, trying not to get annoyed with Tamaki as they went through the mall. "Really, Tamaki! Everything here is exactly what it was when we came last time!"

"But they have a santa!" He bounced excitedly. "Just like that one in America."

Haruhi just rolled her eyes and turned a corner, greeted by the sight of Kyoya deep in a conversation with a man she recognized from the neighborhood who was trying to sell him religion. Kyoya looked like he was ready to lose it if this guy didn't let him go and, sympathy driving her more than anything else, she left Tamaki with the fake man in a red suit and smiled warmly at the two. "Kyoya-senpai, we're over here, remember?"

He furrowed his brow before getting it. "Oh, right! Of course!" And with that, he parted from the gentleman and followed her, grateful.

_**Handing tickets out for God**_

"You didn't look very happy." She smiled, continuing her shopping as he followed close behind.

"No, I suppose I wouldn't." Was all he said, frowning a bit as they walked past a jewelry store. All the rings of every different size mocking him.

_**Turning back she just laughs**_

Having a thought, he pulled her in with him. They were looking at everything, just spending this moment away from Tamaki for a bit. "What about you? Do you ever think about what those nuts have to say?" His question made her laugh before thinking about an answer.

_**The boulevard is not that bad**_

She thought long and hard. "No. I mean, I like my life, or most of it. I don't need somewhere better to try and make it to."

_**Piano man he makes his stand**_

_**In the auditorium**_

His thoughts that night, while laying upon his bed, went back to that summer once more. As it did every time he spent any kind of time with Haruhi. Only, his thoughts were on a much sadder note.

They had just returned after spending a month at the beach. Nobody knew but the two of them, but he'd kissed her. They'd been talking and somehow she had ended up, once again, on her back in his bed, and this time he couldn't help but take a kiss from her. Not that she minded. But with a kiss comes certain expectations. Expectations they were too slow to meet.

They'd returned before ever figuring out what had happened between the two. Haruhi was herself once more and could spend time with her father without him suspecting something was up. The day after they came back from thier paradise, she recieved an invitation for a concert Tamaki was putting on and accepted, knowing she couldn't avoid him forever. She was getting ready for the concert when there was a knock on the door of the apartment.

Slowly, she pulled open the door, her smile bright. "Kyoya! What are you doing here?"

He couldn't help but stare. She was wearing a black dress he'd never seen before that went down to her knees and had a v neck line that stopped before showing anything. It was perfectly modest but so flattering as well. Around her neck was a pearl choker the twins had gotten her for her birthday, and she'd taken the time to fix her hair and put on some make up. He had never seen someone so enchanting, words almost refused to form in his mouth.

Under his gaze, she turned a charming shade of pink. "Kyoya?"

Snapping out of it, he couldn't help but blush as well. "I apologize, Haruhi. You look beautiful." There was silence for a moment. "I was coming to ask you to dinner, but you clearly already have plans."

"Well, I was going to Tamaki's concert." She couldn't help the feeling of guilt that popped up. "But, if you want to come with me, we could get dinner after?"

He smiled and took what he could, escorting her to the performance they both knew was for her.

_**Looking on she sings the songs**_

They had sat in the back, preparing in case they chose to leave early. When she saw Tamaki, she felt only the warmness that thier friendship had brought on before the heart got involved.

Kyoya was too busy watching her to pay attention to the piano. Her eyes were warm as they stared at the man playing, with none of the heartbreak he'd expected to see there. Did she still love him? Was this where they parted ways? He'd never stood a chance.

_**The words she knows the tune she hums**_

Slowly, he stood up, dismissing himself and leaving. In her confusion, Haruhi followed behind him. When they were out in the lobby, she spoke quietly. "Kyoya, what's wrong?"

"This." He gestured between them. "This right here is so wrong."

"What?" She refused to show what she was feeling, knowing his words would have brought on tears. "How can you say that?"

"You belong with Tamaki, Haruhi." He turned to look at her, to really see everything about her. "Don't deny it. You want to be with him. And you should. He's great. Kind, gentle. He loves you."

"No, Kyoya..." She swallowed painfully. "I don't."

"Yes you do." He nodded, knowing. But he knew Haruhi. She wouldn't admit to antyhing if he didn't give her a push. "And it's a good thing. Because I think I just realized I don't want you, one kiss meant absolutely nothing." With that, he didn't want to watch what would happen next, so he left the theater.

He never saw her face crumple or the way she fled into the bathroom to cry in peace. He didn't see Tamaki find her and carry her back to his place. He didn't even see the way she refused to smile fully the next day when they all got coffee for the first time. All he knew, was that her hand was in Tamaki's and that he'd been right.

_**But oh how it feels so real **_

_**Lying here with no one near**_

_**Only you and you can hear me**_

_**When I say softly slowly**_

He just rolled onto his side and curled up. There were so many things he wanted and none of them were even close to happening. This was his punishment for his foolishness. He would pick up his shattered heart tomorrow, but for now he wanted to dream that he didn't have to sleep alone, and that there was a woman he loved so dearly talking in his hear.

_**Hold me closer tiny dancer**_

_**Count the headlights on the highway**_

_**Lay me down in sheets of linen**_

_**you had a busy day today**_

Haruhi was worn out as she laid her head down in the bedrom of her small apartment. Tamaki had insisted on her staying late and only now could she allow herself to really take a moment to breathe. It was so hard seeing Kyoya, smiling as if nothing was ever wrong. But he couldn't know he'd broken her. He couldn't know that she'd never love Tamak the way she'd once thought she hand. She'd never love him the way that she'd learned to love Kyoya in the course of a month. He couldn't know, and so she wouldn't tell him. If he wanted her to marry Tamaki, she would do it. There was no turning around now.

_**Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band**_

The next night at dinner, Tamaki got down in front of her on one knee. He was so expecting, so open, she almost hated him for it. "Haruhi, I know we've not always agreed, and that you're not exactly in my social class," What? ",I know that you make a rubbish lady, and that you'll probably screw up at every social setting, but I love you., despite all of that. Will you please do us both the honor of marrying me?"

She stared at him for a moment before laughing and patting his cheek. "Thank you, Tamaki, you've made my mind up for me. No, I won't marry you. But you know what, I think you'll be okay."

"Haruhi! Wait!" But she was already up from the table, running out into the street. There was only one place she needed to be right now, and it wasn't here.

_**Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man**_

Kyoya was standing in his bedroom, adjusting the black tie he'd put on so that it sat just right. Tonight he was going to the restaurant Tamaki had texted him, putting on his biggest smile, and pretending his best friend wasn't marrying the girl he loved. He'd congratulate both of them and then leave, come back here, and maybe even get drunk. It sounded like a great plan to him.

Something caught his eye and he picked up the picture by the mirror. It was them on the beach, an uncut version of the picture of her on his phone ID. She had that bewitching smile, the bucket of sea water weighing her down as her and Honey hold it. The twins are building a sandcastle and Mori was watching the two of them. But Kyoya was sitting on the ground in front of the two, reading a book and being what they considered to be no fun at all. In the next moments after his maid took this picture, that bucket of water would be on his head and he'd be chasing them around, laughing despite of his anger.

But that moment was over now, it was just him now. And Haruhi was going to build herself her own paradise. So he put the picture in the drawer and walked away from his reflection in the mirror.

_**Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand**_

There was a knock on his door, startling him as anybody who would have been let up into the apartment without warning should be at the restaurant. He pulled open the door and was more than surprised to see a soaking wet Haruhi, dressed exactly as she was the day they went to the theater. "What are you doing here? Where's Tamaki?"

He hadn't noticed at first because of the water, but she was crying as she looked at him, shivering. "Tell me one thing, Kyoya, did that kiss really mean nothing to you?"

He pulled her in and took his suit jacket off, laying it over her shoulders to help with the cold. "Really, Haruhi, is this the time?"

"Yes!" The fire was back for a moment. "This is the time! If you tell me to go marry Tamaki, I will do it, but it will forever be because you told me to." Her voice was meek once more, so unsure of herself. "Please don't make me marry a man I don't love, Kyoya."

"I can't make you do anything." Was all he said, watching her. His mind was buzzing at one hundred miles an hour, trying to handle what she was telling him. Was it possible? Everything he'd hoped for? He got closer to her, standing inches away from her.

"Then answer my question!" She pushed him away, wiping at her eyes furiously.

Without even thinking about it, he stepped toward her again and leaned down so that his lips were practically touching hers. "It meant everything."

She closed what was left of the gap, pressing her lips against his as he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. Her hands came up to bury her hands in his hair and everything stopped in that moment. There was no heart break, no tomorrow, no yesterday, no passing time. Only the foolishness of two sensible people. And for once, that was more than enough.

_**And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand**_

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_****_** Review please! :D**


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